Rochester-Area Catholics React to Election of Pope Francis

A new pope has been named to lead the Roman Catholic Church, and Rochester Patch readers mostly agreed with the election.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, of Argentina, has been elected the 266th pope and is the first pope from Latin America.

"I listened to him speak and he seemed very human and humble and a bit funny," said Patch reader Diane Young on the Rochester Patch Facebook page.

Bergoglio is the son of middle-class Italian immigrants and became the first Jesuit archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was appointed cardinal three years later, according to the Washington Post. The article stated that Bergoglio leans to the conservative side on doctrinal and spiritual issues and opposes abortion and supports celibacy among priest.

He will take the name of Pope Francis, according to the Huffington Post.

Judy Maten, of Royal Oak, is the director of the office of evangelization & catechesis for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Maten said staff gathered around televisions this afternoon with great joy and excitement.

"We are just thrilled," Maten said. "I think one of the clues to the type pope he will be is that he asked people to pray for him. With the whole world watching, he got people to be quiet and pray in St. Peter's Square."

Maten believes one of the new pope's priorities will be unification.

"We can't wait to see what his first papal document will be," she said.

Renee Rollage Delsignore of Rochester outlined what she thinks the Pope needs to do.

"He needs to bring some equality to women, have No Tolerance for pedophiles and if the church has any hope of continuing they are going to have to let priests marry (every other 'Chrisitian' religion allows them to) ... otherwise it's just more of the same," she stated. 

Yvonne Concepcion Whiteley of Rochester suggested that, for the Church to move into the 21st Century, nuns should be allowed into the priesthood. "They need to give women more say in what happens in the Church," she stated.

Despite not having a front runner, in one of the fastest conclaves in years, Bergoglio received the necessary minimum of two-thirds (77) of the 115 votes on the fifth ballot, reported the Detroit News. The article stated that The Archdiocese of Detroit plans a special service Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the election of the new Pope, with time and place to be announced.

What do you think of the decision, Rochester? Tell us in the comments.